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S-Bahn -: New trains bring more options and comfort to the extended network as of December 13

(//, December 11, 2020) With the timetable change on December 13, 2020, passengers in , in southern , and between Mannheim, and can now enjoy the new Mireo (Series 463) trains running on the S-Bahn lines S5/S51, parts of S6 and the new S9 line: travel here will be even more comfortable, convenient and modern. In a -wide tendering procedure held by the responsible authorities – the -Württemberg Ministry of Transport, the Zweckverband Schienenpersonennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Süd (ZSPNV Süd) and the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar GmbH (VRN) for the Hessian district of Bergstraße – DB Regio Mitte was newly awarded operational responsibility for these new S-Bahn lines. The transport company will thus continue to provide transport services with a volume totaling around six million train-kilometers a year beginning on December 13, 2020.

57 new Mireo trains: Higher quality and comfort The three-car, 70-meter-long trains have 200 seats and a maximum speed of Ansprechpartner:

160 km/h. The interior design combines a generous sense of space with Ute Greter modern comfort and security features, including large passenger information DB Regio Mitte displays, free WLAN access for passengers, and interior security cameras. S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar Passengers benefit from comfortable seating, power outlets, a powerful air Tel. +49 (0) 621 830-1580 conditioning system and five multi-purpose areas with sufficient space for Ursula Eickhoff strollers, wheelchairs and up to 26 bicycles. The new Mireo Series 463 trains Deutsche Bahn AG are built by Siemens Mobility. Baden-Württemberg [email protected] Landesanstalt Schienenfahrzeuge Baden-Württemberg (SFBW) owns the trains Tel. +49 (0) 711 2092-2300 and is leasing them to DB Regio for the duration of the transport contract. Edgar Neumann All in all, the public transport authorities are investing around €270 million in the Ministerium für Verkehr new train fleet, which has been designed to be particularly energy-saving and Baden-Württemberg environmentally friendly. [email protected] Tel. +49 (0) 711 231-5841 On December 13, 2020, the new Mireo began operating on S-Bahn lines S5/S51 serving -Eppingen/Aglasterhausen and on the S9 route Fritz Engbarth Zweckverband SPNV serving Groß–Rohrheim–Mannheim–Schwetzingen–Karlsruhe. There will still Rheinland-Pfalz Süd be mixed service with older trains on the Mannheim–– Tel. +49 (0) 631 36659-14 section on S-Bahn line S6. As of December 2021, the new trains will operate on the entire S6 Bensheim–Weinheim–Mannheim– route and replace the Axel Thiemann older trains. As planned, a total of 38 new trains began scheduled service on Verkehrsverbund Rhein- Neckar GmbH December 13, 2020, and the remaining 19 trains will follow in 2021. Tel. +49 (0) 621 10770-174

Service improvements in the S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar network, Lot 2 Silke Thomson-Pottebohm Siemens Mobility GmbH As of December 13, 2020, the network’s timetable offers the following Tel. +49 (0) 174 306 3307 improvements:

Herausgeber: Deutsche Bahn AG Potsdamer Platz 2, 10785 Berlin, Deutschland Verantwortlich für den Inhalt: Leiter Kommunikation und Marketing Oliver Schumacher …/2020 UE/UG

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• The new S-Bahn S9 line serving Groß Rohrheim––Mannheim– Schwetzingen–Karlsruhe replaces previous regional rail services on this route. The line has also been extended beyond Biblis to Groß Rohrheim and service frequency has been improved. • Service on the Groß Rohrheim–Biblis–Mannheim route is now provided on an hourly basis every day. In addition, existing gaps in the timetable on weekends and in the evening have been eliminated. • Service on the entire Mannheim–Graben-Neudorf route is now provided on a half-hour basis every day. In the past, the half-hourly regional trains operated only on Monday to Friday and in some cases only to Waghäusel. As of 10:00 p.m., the trains on this route run every hour. • Full-day hourly service on the Graben-Neudorf–Karlsruhe route has now been increased to half-hourly service during peak traffic times. Individual additional services are offered as fast connections with fewer stops during peak hours. • Daily S5 service on the Heidelberg –Meckesheim– () route is now provided on a half-hourly basis (previously only Monday to Friday). Hourly service is provided on the other sections, and half-hourly service is Ansprechpartner: scheduled part of the time on the Meckesheim–Aglasterhausen (S51) section. Ute Greter DB Regio Mitte • Daily S6 service on the Mannheim–Bensheim section is now scheduled S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar continuously on an hourly basis and achieved by running more trains in the Tel. +49 (0) 621 830-1580 evenings and by closing service gaps in the evenings and on weekends. Combined with the -Neckar-Ried Express trains running parallel on this Ursula Eickhoff Deutsche Bahn AG route, half-hourly service is available. Baden-Württemberg • The new Weinheim- station has now opened and is also included [email protected] Tel. +49 (0) 711 2092-2300 in the S6 hourly service. Edgar Neumann Ministerium für Verkehr Baden-Württemberg Photos of the new Mireo S-Bahn trains for the S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar: [email protected] https://mediaportal.deutschebahn.com/marsDB-Mediaportal/ko/de/6100470 Tel. +49 (0) 711 231-5841

Fritz Engbarth Zweckverband SPNV Rheinland-Pfalz Süd Tel. +49 (0) 631 36659-14

Axel Thiemann Verkehrsverbund Rhein- Neckar GmbH Tel. +49 (0) 621 10770-174

Silke Thomson-Pottebohm Siemens Mobility GmbH Tel. +49 (0) 174 306 3307

Herausgeber: Deutsche Bahn AG Potsdamer Platz 2, 10785 Berlin, Deutschland Verantwortlich für den Inhalt: Leiter Kommunikation und Marketing Oliver Schumacher …/2020 UE/UG

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Quotes Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann: “The new S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar is a highlight in the continuing success story of local mass transit in the region provided by DB Regio,” explains Baden- Württemberg’s Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann. “Passengers now benefit from more frequent service and an approximately 25-percent increase in operations. The powerful Mireo trainset from Siemens Mobility is state-of-the-art and comfortable, representing the latest generation of design and technology. All trains provide free WLAN access. Five multi-purpose areas in the train offer generous space for wheelchairs, bicycles, or strollers. Space is also available for up to 26 bicycles in each train.”

Dr. Fritz Brechtel, CEO, Zweckverbandes Schienenpersonennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Süd (ZSPNV Süd): “ S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar is also a safe place in times of corona, and has long been a successful concept. We offer attractive cross- service at frequent intervals on both sides of the Rhine. The 57 new Mireo trains will be maintained and serviced at the S-Bahn depot in . For the customers, this means a new type of train that provides greater comfort and at the same time secures crisis-proof jobs.” Ansprechpartner:

Ute Greter Christian Specht, CEO, Zweckverbandes Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar: DB Regio Mitte “Social distancing is the order of the day due to corona. This won’t be a S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar problem with the new trains – yet at the same time they are bringing us closer Tel. +49 (0) 621 830-1580 together. The S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar will connect nearly two-and-a-half million people in the future. We’ve worked almost 25 years to get where we are today: Ursula Eickhoff Deutsche Bahn AG better transfer possibilities, regular service even in the evenings and on Baden-Württemberg weekends, and a closer, more integrated Rhine-Neckar and Rhine-Main [email protected] metropolitan area. When all the new trains are running on the Mannheim-Mainz Tel. +49 (0) 711 2092-2300 route when the timetable changes in December 2021, we will have reached this Edgar Neumann goal.” Ministerium für Verkehr Baden-Württemberg Volker M. Heepen, Managing Director, Landesanstalt Schienenfahrzeuge [email protected] Baden-Württemberg and Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg Tel. +49 (0) 711 231-5841 “The Landesanstalt now owns over 300 trains. With the Mireo, we are providing Fritz Engbarth passengers in the Rhine-Neckar region one of the most modern trainsets now Zweckverband SPNV available on the market. The improvements it offers in comfort features and its Rheinland-Pfalz Süd WLAN access should encourage even more people to switch to the S-Bahn. Tel. +49 (0) 631 36659-14 With the introduction of consistent half-hourly service on the new S-Bahn lines, Axel Thiemann we are offering passengers a high level of availability and an attractive Verkehrsverbund Rhein- alternative to cars.” Neckar GmbH Tel. +49 (0) 621 10770-174 Maik Dreser, CEO Regional Management, DB Regio Mitte: “The commissioning of new trains is always a challenge that we gladly accept Silke Thomson-Pottebohm Siemens Mobility GmbH on behalf of our passengers. I’m especially happy that, following a series of Tel. +49 (0) 174 306 3307 successful trial runs, we at DB Regio inaugurated the service of 38 new

Herausgeber: Deutsche Bahn AG Potsdamer Platz 2, 10785 Berlin, Deutschland Verantwortlich für den Inhalt: Leiter Kommunikation und Marketing Oliver Schumacher …/2020 UE/UG

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Siemens Mireo trains in the S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar network on December 13. In addition to increasing the comfort and convenience features and providing free WLAN access on the trains, we have above all improved the frequency of our services.”

Albrecht Neumann, CEO Rolling Stock, Siemens Mobility “We are proud that a further 38 Mireo trains from Siemens Mobility have punctually begun passenger service in the S-Bahn Rhine-Neckar network. There are now two Mireo fleets in operation. The new barrier- free trains offer an enhanced travel experience for passengers with their increased seating capacity, WLAN access, high-performance air conditioning, multi-purpose areas for wheelchairs, bicycles and strollers, and extensive passenger assistance and information systems.”

Ansprechpartner:

Ute Greter DB Regio Mitte S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar Tel. +49 (0) 621 830-1580

Ursula Eickhoff Deutsche Bahn AG Baden-Württemberg [email protected] Tel. +49 (0) 711 2092-2300

Edgar Neumann Ministerium für Verkehr Baden-Württemberg [email protected] Tel. +49 (0) 711 231-5841

Fritz Engbarth Zweckverband SPNV Rheinland-Pfalz Süd Tel. +49 (0) 631 36659-14

Axel Thiemann Verkehrsverbund Rhein- Neckar GmbH Tel. +49 (0) 621 10770-174

Silke Thomson-Pottebohm Siemens Mobility GmbH Tel. +49 (0) 174 306 3307

Herausgeber: Deutsche Bahn AG Potsdamer Platz 2, 10785 Berlin, Deutschland Verantwortlich für den Inhalt: Leiter Kommunikation und Marketing Oliver Schumacher …/2020 UE/UG